Taiga Aokawa
| image = | race = / | birthplace = | birthday = December 10 | age = Unknown (Appears 22-25) | gender = Male | height = 189 cm (5'11) | weight = 90 kg (200 lbs) | eyes = Blue | hair = Gray | blood type = O | affiliation = Venganza | previous affiliation = | occupation = Leader of Venganza | previous occupation = Third Seat of Lieutenant of Eleventh Division | team = Venganza | previous team = Eleventh Division | partner = Kyra Kato | previous partner = | base of operations = (Occasionally) Human World King City | marital status = Single | relatives = Kyra Kato (Unofficial Daughter) Hiyori Sarugaki (Unofficial Sister) | education = (Formerly) Raian Getsueikirite (Formerly) (Formerly) (Formerly) | shikai = Shinsō Shitsui | bankai = Shinsō Senjin Shitsui | english voice = Nolan North | japanese voice = Naoya Uchida }} “''The endless abyss that swallows everything.” - Suteibu Aokawa (寿帝武, ''Aokawa Suteibu) is the former lieutenant of the Eleventh Division who served under captain . He had also previously served in the as a third seat where he served under Raian Getsueikirite, the division's captain of the time. After being constantly ridiculed while in the for being half shinigami and half hollow, he left the and swore to never return. Once he had left the soul society, he journeyed to where he spent two years training with his powers, coming out only to go to to train with . After his control over his powers increased to the point of mastery, he journeyed back to King City, the city he was in charge of when he was a member of the tenth division. He has currently created and based his own team, called Venganza, out of this city and protects it and its citizens from hollows and other malevolent spirits. Appearance Suteibu is a tall, tan and muscular young man with slightly curly gray hair. He is often noted to have a scraggy appearance, also, since the side of his face and chin are peppered with slightly trimmed hair. As a child, Suteibu had much longer and curlier hair and did not have facial on any part of his face. While in , Suteibu wore a typical school uniform that was a solid light blue color, signifying himself as a highly skilled student. He often carried around his practice sword, a soulless zanpakutō given to all students, in his hands and, more often than not, used it to prop himself up when he took “light naps” during class. When he became a seated officer of the among the ranks of the , he wore a typical soul reaper uniform. His hair still reattained its long and curly structure and he also began to grow out his side burns at this time. By the time he became the lieutenant of the Eleventh Division, though, the side of his face and his chin began to sprout more facial hair. Currently, since leaving the and taking up residence in the Human World, Suteibu has changed his appearance. He no longer wears a soul reaper uniform, whether he is in his or whether he is out of it, and has instead adopted a more functional outfit. He wears a pair of blue, high rise boots with multiple laces running up the front of it and a pair of green cargo pants. Attached to his waist is a belt with multiple pouches along the base of the back; the purpose of these pouches is still unknown. He also wears a long sleeve, black and white shirt with the black color being the most predominant color of the shirt and the white color accenting his ribcage. Lastly, around his neck he wears a yellow scarf, which is believed to be a gift from either Hiyori or Kyra. When in battle, he will often times wrap this scarf around his head in order to prevent his hair from getting in his eyes. Personality As a child growing up in the , Suteibu was very calm and polite; he was always smiling and greeting everyone he met. Many residents considered this behavior strange since most people who grew up in the Rukongai were typically poor, miserable, or a blend of both. He was also very kind and was always willing to help anyone who needed help, from young children to elderly residents. These kind tendencies also continued through his time in ; he would always help his teachers with whatever they needed done; this caused many students to view him as a “teacher's pet”. His one fatal flaw, however, was his extremely ruthless tendencies that surfaced when fighting bandits and other villains of the Rukongai. It was once rumored by many of his neighbors in his district that he once butchered a group of bandits and thieves with a mere pocketknife. Rumors such as this spread very quickly and, although he was very kind and helpful, many people ended up ignoring him as a result. 's violent temper.]] When Suteibu became a seated officer in the , not much about him changed. He still liked to help his captain and his comrades with whatever they needed and would often go above and beyond in order to achieve this. He was always found to be smiling, much like his time in the Rukongai and Shinō Academy and would often be the one to find joy and happiness in almost anything. He also became able to control his anger and murderous tendencies better during this time thanks to the efforts of Raian Getsueikirite, his captain while he was in the division. His kind and cheery demeanor also seemed to have a positive effect on others, especially Hiyori Sarugaki, a girl whose personality was the complete opposite of Suteibu's. Many believe that this strangely vast difference in their personalities is what caused the two to develop bonds that were sibilant in nature. Since Suteibu viewed Hiyori as a sister, he did not handle her supposed death very well after her encounter with . His demeanor changed immediately and he left the because it reminded him too much of Hiyori; he instead joined Eleventh Division as a lieutenant. He became very withdrawn and depressed, attempting to avoid anyone and everyone if at all possible, and he would no longer smile or laugh. His kindness faded completely and, if he had to converse with anyone, his remarks would often be short and brash. He also stopped doing extra work for his subordinates and would often be tough on anyone who did not complete their work on time. Suteibu also began to revert back to his old ruthless behavior and would show little to no mercy when fighting opponents. He also began to love the fighting more, this being the only time he ever smiled or laughed; he surmised that he may have adopted this from the division members. Since leaving the and the , Suteibu has become very calm and laid back. He never loses his temper or yells at the mistakes that the members of his team make, he simply tells them to try better next time. He is very kind and supportive of his team members and is usually the first to defend them if they are in trouble or are in need of assistance. Suteibu is often very stoic, showing little to no signs of emotion or facial expressions, except when he is in battle where he is much more happier and is always smiling and laughing. If he gets injured while he is in the fight, he will became even happier and will often praise the skills of his opponents, similar to members of eleventh division, especially captain . He has also been known to cut in on other peoples' battles if he is not fighting or if he finishes his fight before someone else. He also seems to have a strange habit of fighting with his eyes closed if he feels that the enemy which he is fighting is too weak. History Much of Suteibu's early life in the is shrouded in a dark veil of mystery, similar to the shadows that he controls with his zanpakutō. The only thing that remains of his childhood are scattered rumors; one claims that he was found on a hill top covered with corpses and raised by a young, male nurse. Another claims that he once fought a whole band of thieves single handily and butchered them all using nothing more than a basic pocket knife, a trinket he is still rumored to have to this day. In fact, the earliest records that are on file for Suteibu start when he was near the end of his last year at . During this year, his days in the academy during this year were very passive for him, since he already completed requirements for graduation months in advance. As a result, this is when many different disciplinary reports were filled against Suteibu for silly things like falling asleep in class. By the time that Suteibu was ready to graduate, though, he had already received many different recommendations and accommodations from multiple teachers and court guard personnel. With these recommendations and a nearly spotless record at the academy, Suteibu was able to join the as a seated officer while coming straight of the academy. When he first joined the tenth division, he was unsure how he would be accepted by the other members. To his relief, he found the division to be quite warm and welcoming, especially since it was under the control of Raian Getsueikirite, one of Suteibu's idols. He was stationed to guard King City during his stay in the company and he had one of the highest protection rates among the . Regardless, he trained diligently, often with the help of captain Raian, and he blossomed while in the company as a result. He was able to learn many different skills, including advanced spells, one of his weakest subjects while in Shinō academy, and he also awakened his shikai. With this, he quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a third seat within five years of joining the division. During this time in the tenth division, he met a young girl named Hiyori Sarugaki. The two met on the day of 's promotion to captain rank and become very good friends almost instantly, a fact that seemed strange considering Hiyori's personality. After their encounter, Suteibu and Hiyori spent most of their free time together and would often train with each other to improve their individual strength. Due to the closeness of the bond that they forged, the two began to view each other as siblings and would often protect each other with a passion shared by real siblings. However, this all tragically ended nine years after Suteibu first met Hiyori because she was hollowfied by and was presumed to be deceased. This enraged Suteibu greatly and caused a complete and total lapse in his personality and even his overall lifestyle. He became much more violent and began to revert back to the same ruthless personality he was rumored to have as a kid. He left the tenth division and signed up for the lieutenants position that was now open under the new Eleventh Division captain, . He was accepted and quickly started making a name for himself and the company as an extremely ruthless and battle oriented company. Around this time, it was discovered that Suteibu was actually part after he transformed and almost killed over half of the eleventh division by himself. Due to this incident, Suteibu was starting to become viewed as a monster and was no longer as accepted as he was when he was in the tenth division. He was ostracized by nearly everyone that he came into contact with and after spending five years as a lieutenant for the eleventh division, he left the for good. When he left the soul society, he journeyed to to train and “find himself”. What he did during this time is not exactly known, but it is known that he got a fairly through grip on his powers and no longer lost control of them. Once this task was completed, Suteibu sought out in Karakura Town in order to train under her. Once he had found her, she refused to train him several times, but he remained persistent and eventually got her to agree. She vigorously trained him in the arts of hakuda and kidō, among other things, and he quickly became quite skilled in these fields. It is also believed that she taught him how to awaken his bankai, although this rumor remains unconfirmed by either party. Once his training was complete, he returned to King City so that he could assemble his own team, which he calls Venganza. Powers & Abilities *' ': Suteibu, having trained extensively at both and under , has shown absolute mastery over the art of wielding a zanpakutō. With his zanpakutō, he is able to easily incapacitate any enemy with a few simple slashes and can do so without getting blood on himself. If he wishes, though, he can easily cut down any enemy with swift and lethal force; with weaker opponents, he will use more force than necessary in order to ensure a kill. He also seems to be skilled with using his zanpakutō's attached string in its sealed form and the attached chain in its bankai form. He often grabs these and spins them, causing the sword to spin in a circular motion and creating an effective offensive and defensive movement in one. *' ': Suteibu, once his training at was complete, spent many years training in the arts of hakuda. During his days off while he was in the , he would often spend hours training in nearby mountains, enhancing both his speed and physical awareness. This allowed Suteibu to master the arts of hakuda in only five years, meaning that his skills rival that of highly trained members of the . In fact, he once disengaged a whole platoon of stealth force members using nothing more than his hakuda skills. *' ': Suteibu, after he left the and the , had trained almost exclusively in the art of hohō. He began his training by first seeking out in the Human World and asked her to train him in the art of hohō. After initially refusing to train him, she eventually changed her mind when he almost beat her in a hakuda fighting match. After this, she agreed to train him and even taught him the technique, a technique she only taught to . Once his training under Yoruichi was complete, Suteibu found that he could move farther distances than before his training and that it took less energy to do so. *' ': Suteibu was never very skilled at kidō spells while he was in , so he had a tendency to avoid kidō training altogether. This seemed to be a common pattern, also, as he just barely managed to pass any of his classes in which kidō spells were taught. This changed, however, when Suteibu enlisted in the under captain Raian Getsueikirite. Raian spent most of his days off teaching Suteibu how to use kidō spells with and without there proper incantations. This training helped to boost Suteibu's basic knowledge and skills of kidō and allowed him to become quite proficient in its use, allowing him to use spells 1-68 without needing to recite their incantations. *'Enhanced Strength': Suteibu trained rigorously in the mountains of the as a young boy and this training and physical conditioning has made his body very rugged. Suteibu, without using anything but brute physical strength, is able to lift extremely heavy objects and easily hoist them over his head. He can also throw large objects, such as massive boulders and pieces of buildings, over huge distances and can also catch equally heavy objects. *'Enhanced Speed': As part of his hohō training with , Suteibu had to condition his body to move at high rates of speed. This allowed his body to become quicker overall while simultaneously decreasing his dependency on and allowing him to conserve more . He uses this quite often when in battle in order to supplement his physical and sword-based attacks. *'Enhanced Reflexes': Suteibu also developed superior reflexes from the same training that he received from . This allowed Suteibu's body to act almost involuntarily when he mastered his hohō training, meaning that he had the capability to potentially dodge any attack. Currently, Suteibu displays this quite often, especially when an enemy attacks him with a long-range attack. If he senses the attack, his body will subconsciously avoid the attack, either with or without using hohō. *'Master Strategist': Suteibu, having spent several years in the Human World and the , has developed thorough understandings of how individuals in both worlds operate. As a result, he is able to analyze a situation and then select one of his already predetermined battle strategies that would best fit the situation at hand. This has caused him to become very feared by and alike as he is a natural born genius of battle strategy. It is also said that he never goes into battle without at least twenty different battle strategies that he has already prepared before hand. *' ': Being half and half , Suteibu possesses a dual-type spiritual energy. His normal spiritual energy is green in color, but when his hollow powers are activated, his spiritual pressure becomes black with green edges. With his hollow powers dormant, he is able to create large blasts of spiritual pressure, either concussive or non, that he can use to blast away his enemies. His spiritual pressure has also shown the ability to take on the shape of a large skull in a manner similar to that of . With his hollow powers activated, Suteibu's spiritual pressure gets an even more substantial boost as he is able to knock back even more enemies with a more concussive spiritual pressure than with his mask off. His spiritual pressure has also been shown to be more menacing when his hollow powers are activated, this possibly being the reason that it turns black. Zanpakutō *'Shinsō Shitsui' (深層失意, Depths of Despair): Suteibu's is standard in appearance, even though the tsuba of his sword is two dimensional unlike most other zanpakutō which have three dimensional tsuba. The sword handle and the sheath of his zanpakutō are blue in color and has an attacked string that is connected to the end of the sword. During his days as a Lieutenant, he would wear his zanpakutō on his back, but since he recently left the soul society, he normally hides his zanpakutō inside an alternate dimension of darkness. When he wishes to summon the sword, though, all he needs to do is hold his hand out; this summons a pitch black mass which quickly forms into the shape of his zanpakutō. *'Shikai': Shinsō Shitsui's shikai command is “Drown in Darkness” (闇に溺れる, Yami ni Oboreru). With this incantation, Shinsō Shitsui releases a plethora of darkness and becomes a pitch black katana with a rectangularly shaped tsuba. The attached string that was on the handle of the zanpakutō's sealed form becomes a sturdy, black chain that is much more durable and relaiable. *'Bankai': Shinsō Senjin Shitsui (深層せんじ失意, Depths of Abysmal Despair): Upon releasing it's bankai form, Shinsō Shitsui releases a massive amount of pure darkness that overwhelms the immediate area. When the darkness disperses, Shinsō Shitsui's shikai can be seen in Suteibu's hand, misconstruing many into believing that the bankai either failed or that he never had one to begin with. Upon closer inspection, however, a giant, green serpent becomes visible and is usually summoned directly behind Suteibu. The serpent summon is several hundred meters long and has often been described as being as large and as menacing as 's bankai. The serpent has two very distinct mouths, including the large, main mouth as well as a smaller, secondary mouth immediately above that one. It also has two long rows of spiked scales that run directly down the center of its back, one row on either side, and four distinct limbs consisting of a pair of arms and legs. These appendages seem to be to weak to support its massive weight, so it often achieves mobility by using the two massive wings that are located on it's back. The serpent also seems to display a sense of intelligence, as strange as that may be, and often acts according to its own free will. However, sense this serpent is a product of Suteibu's zanpakutō, an extension of his own soul, the serpent and suteibu often have extremely similar goals. Lastly, and most importantly, the serpent summon has the ability to fire off blasts of pure darkness and can use any of the other attacks that suteibu can use with his katana, Suteibu's katana based attacks also get a substantial increase while in his bankai form, even though his katana is just his shikai. Hollow Transformation Partial Hollow Transformation *'Partial Hollow Transformation': Upon entering this form, the sclera of Suteibu's eyes turn black and his irises turn a bright yellow color, similar to when a puts on their hollow mask. In order to achieve the ability to enter this form, he had to complete extensive and rigorous training in that was physically, mentally, and spiritually taxing to his body. It took him about two years to complete this training although he has never told anyone what he had to do and who he trained with. When he becomes angered, which is rare for him, the power of Suteibu's abilities increase since he does not express anger as often as, say, Hiyori. :*'Power Augmentation': While in this form, Suteibu's powers and his powers partially fuse and augment each other, giving him a vast increase in his overall strength, speed, and reflexes. :*'Cero': While in this form, Suteibu has shown the capability to charge and fire a cero from his fingertip or his mouth. He uses it mainly as a frontal attack or a distraction, but when he is angered, he has been known to pour large quantities of spiritual pressure into it, turning it into an even more powerful attack. He also shown skill in using it as sweeping attack as well by simply swinging his finger in a arc-shaped motion, allowing him to take out more than one target at a time. :*' ': While in this form, Suteibu's skin becomes extremely hard and is unable to be pierced by normal means of attack. This power does seem to correspond with his current spiritual pressure level, however, so when his spiritual pressure falls, so does the strength of his hierro. :*' ': While partially transformed, Suteibu has the ability to fire off a large barrage of bala. His bala are not as strong as his cero, but they are twenty times faster, which means that he can use them as decoy attacks. :*' ': When he is in his partially transformed state, Suteibu ca sense the presence of hollows much easier using this ability. He can also sense the presence of other non-hollow based spirit energy at a greater acuity, including quinceis, shinigami, and visoreds among others. :*' ': A strange ability that Suteibu can use while in his partially transformed state. This ability allows him to open gateways to and allows him to travel freely to and from the human world to hueco mundo. He usually opens these by snapping his fingers. He may also use these garganta to summon small amounts of lesser hollows which he can use as distractions for escaping or as makeshift soldiers for battle. Full Hollow Transformation *'Full Hollow Transformation': Upon entering this form, the sclera of Suteibu's eyes turn black and his irises turn a bright yellow color, similar to when a puts on their hollow mask. In order to achieve the ability to enter this form, he had to complete extensive and rigorous training in that was physically, mentally, and spiritually taxing to his body. It took him about two years to complete this training although he has never told anyone what he had to do and who he trained with. When he becomes angered, which is rare for him, the power of Suteibu's abilities increase since he does not express anger as often as, say, Hiyori. :*'Power Augmentation': While in this form, Suteibu's powers and his powers completely fuse and further augment each other, giving him a vast increase in his overall strength, speed, and reflexes. :*'Enhanced Cero': Much like when he was in a fully hollowfied state, Suteibu also has the ability to fire an enhanced cero, namely from his fingertips or the horns on his head. It's charge time and is greatly shortened compared to a normal cero and its speed and power are far greater than an average cero. He uses it mainly as a frontal attack while in this form as he has difficulty sweeping it since the power is so much greater than a normal cero. ::*'Cero Pinchazo': Perhaps Suteibu's ultimate attack while in his fully transformed state. Suteibu developed this powerful variation of the cero by utilizing and harnessing naturally occurring darkness and combining it with his normal cero. The result is a powerful, pitch-black cero with a green hue and an extremely wide range that has a charge time of about two seconds. The power varies depending on the amount of spiritual pressure put into it, but the simplest application has the destructive power to destroy the top of a mountain in a single blast. It also seems to leave a lingering stinging sensation on the enemy, should they survive, and the surrounding area; the reason for this is unknown. The only drawback is that the more power that is exerted into the blast, the more taxing it is on Suteibu's body, even in this form. :*' ': While in this form, Suteibu's hierro skin becomes much harder and more refined. It also requires only a fraction of the spiritual pressure that it used to require when he was in a partial transformed state. This allows him to take more damage from more attacks without the power of his hierro weakening or shutting off. :*' ': While in this form, Suteibu can fire many more bala blasts than he could when he was in his partially transformed state. They also seem to be much faster and stronger when compared to the bala that he fires when in a partially transformed state. Even in this form, he only uses these a mass attack or a distraction, allowing him to catch his enemies off guard. :*' ': While in this form, Suteibu can sense more hollows at longer ranges than he could when he was partially transformed. He can also sense any other non-hollow based spiritual pressure within a set area of about thirty kilometers, a range that is far greater than when he is in his partially transformed state. :*' ': While in this form, Suteibu has the ability to use the hollow power of sonido. Essentially, it is the same as a shinigami's and allows him to cover large distances but it cannot be sentenced with a hollow's . This is particularly powerful for when he is fighting an enemy or multiple enemies who are using hollow based abilities. :*' ': While in this form, Suteibu can regenerate his body and limbs that get cut off or are otherwise damaged in any way. There seems to be a limit to how may times he can use this, although this is currently unknown, and he cannot regenerate internal organs, such as his heart and brain. :*' ': Suteibu can still open garganta, gateways to , while in this form but he can summon many more garganta at once than he could when he was partially transformed. When he summons the garganta in this form, hollows can also be found to emerge from them since they are so much bigger and are more abundant than the ones he summons when he is partially transformed. The hollows that emerge from these garganta also seem to listen and obey his every wish, perhaps out of fear of him attacking them. Trivia *Suteibu is the Japanese version of my name, Steve, and his personality is roughly based on that of my own personality.